Channing Tatum Enters Hiatus, Taking Break

Channing Tatum is taking a bit of a break from acting to focus on directing for a few films. The “Magic Mike” actor tells Entertainment Weekly that he wants to focus on other projects with his production partner Reid Carolin.

“[We] have about three to four ideas that we love that are all in the hopper,” Tatum, 32, told the magazine.

“We’re going to be like, alright, no more acting parts for a minute, let’s take a few and really get caring about that section of our career.”

Tatum says the hiatus will be for about a year. But Tatum fans won’t have to worry much about not seeing him in 2013. He has already finished or is wrapping up 4 films that he will appear in next year, including the G.I. Joe sequel.

“I love the steps that I’ve taken acting-wise. That has been a wild sort of exploration,” Tatum said. “But I don’t want to just keep putting [directing] off for these fun and incredible opportunities.”

Aside from appearing in five films in the last year, the 32-year-old Tatum was just recently announced as People magazines “Sexiest Man Alive.” Tatum has appeared in a broad range of roles during his career from dramatic to action to comedy.

In 2000, Tatum was first cast as a dancer in Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” music video, after an audition in Orlando, Florida; he was paid $400 for the job. He then began a modeling career working for Armani and Abercrombie and Fitch. He then moved into acting starting with TV commercials for Mountain dew and Pepsi.

Tatum has said that his modeling career has helped him with his life, specifying that “It’s made my life, and my family’s life, a lot easier, because I never knew what I wanted to do and now they don’t really have to worry about me anymore. I’ve been able to explore life, and through exploring it I’ve found that I love art, I love writing, I love acting, I love all the things that make sense to me. And I’ve been given the chance to go out and see the world, and to see all the things out there. Not everyone gets that chance.”